Machine for making continuously-formed articles from plastic material.



Y PATENTED MAR. 20-, 1906. Q

' J. K. -WI MACHINE FOR MAKING comm s MEDARTIGL'ES FROM PLASTIC LL IAMU0 YPOR M RIAL.

\ I03 FILED AUG. 31, 1905.

* UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

J OHN K; WILLIAMS, or AKRON, .OH IO. MACHINE FOR MAKINGCONTINUOUSLY-FORMED ARTICLEQ FROM PLASTIC MATERIAL.

To all whom) it may concern: I

Be it known that I, JoHN K. WILLIAMS,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Akron, in the county ofSummit and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Im rove- -mentsin Machines for Making Continuouslycle-tires from a mass ofunvulcaniz'ed rubber and to simultaneously incorporate therein variousforms of strengthening devices and at the same time to cover one or moreof the surfaces of the tire with fabric and to cause it to adherethereto. a

The invention further aims .to sim le and effectual device whic rovide acan be ,rea ily operated and in which the number of parts used isreduced to a minimum and the operations involved will greatly sim lifythe preparation of continuously-forme rubber articles for vulcanization.

Heretofore in the manufacture of continuously-formed rubber articlesfrom such plastic substances as rubber, wherein it is desired toincorporate in them suitable strengthening devices, it has beencustomary to first shape the articles and afterward insert thestrengthenin devices, and experience has demonstrate that the forcingof. strengthenin articles into previously-formed green unvificanizedrubber articles tends to distort the articles and their location thereinis relatively uncertain and to a large extent unsatisfactory, and it hasfurther been found that where it is necessary to coat the base portionand part of the sidesfof the tire with fabric it must be accomplished byhand and at the time the-articles are placed in the molds forvulcanizing, and hence my invention aims to obviate these disadvantagesand to' accomplish these several desirable results mechanically and atone operation durlng the time that the article is being continuouslyformed.

With the foregoing and other objects in view the invention consists ofthe novel construction, combination, and arran ement of partsconstituting the invention to e hereinafter referred to, and illustratedin the accom- Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed August31,1905- Sarial No. 276.541-

Patented March 20, 1906.

panying drawings, which form a part of this specification, in which isshown the preferred embodiment of the invention; but it is to beunderstood that changes, variations, and

modifications can be resorted to which come within the scope of theclaims hereunto appended.

In the drawings, in which similar reference numerals indicate like partsin the different figures, Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section ofmyimproved device. Flg. 2 is a plan view of a tire with portions thereofremoved, showing the internal construction thereof; Fig. 3 is a sectionof Fig. 1 at the lineX.- Fig 4 is a section of Fig. 1 at the line Y, andFig. 5 is a transverse sectional view of a tire formed by-the deviceshown in Fig. 1. In the drawings, the reference-numeral 1 represents themain outer casing of the dev1ce, which is supported upon legs 2.Longitudinally through the casing 1 is a cylindrical opening 3. W1thinthe o ening 3 and ranged to fit therein is a eed-screw 4. In the wall ofthe casingl is formed a steamchamber 5, to which steam is admitted bythe inlet-pipe 6 and from which steam and water escape y means of theoutlet 7. Through the top portionv of the casing 1 is a feed-opening 8,by which the material to be operated on by the screw 4 is fed to theopenin 3.

On the rear of the machine, whic is the right in Fig. 1, is a bracket"9, which supports an irrevoluble horizontalmandrel 10, which passesthrougha suitable opening in the screw 4 and is also sustained inposition'thereby. The rear end of the screw 4 extends beyond the normaloutlines of the opening 3 and is preferably provided outside thereofwith a tooth portion 1 1 into which may mesh a driving-gear, (not shownin the drawings,) which may be of any ordinary or preferredconstruccircular central opiening to receive and form a close union witht e" screw 4, and at the point where the screw passes through the openinin the head 12 it is cylindrical and adapte to make a fairlyapproximately tight oint therewith. The front end of the mandrel 10 istapered and projects outwardly from the openmg 3. 4

is retained in position by being secured to v the die-carryinghead 15bymeans of bolts 17. 10 This die is provided with an opening in itsouter face of such a shape and conformation as that which it is desiredto impart to the a1 ticle to be manufactured by this device. Theportions of the die having'the opening I to which this conformation isgiven extends rearwardly a shortdistance, and from there the openin inthe die ta ers outwardly, so as to join an register wit the opening inthe die-carrying head 15, so that from the open- 20 ing 3 a continuousand constantly-narrowing passage extends to the point of outlet in thedie, and centrally dis osed in this opening is theproj ectingforward endof the mandrel 10.

In order to better'illustrate and describe 2 5 the operation of thisdevice, it will be resumed that the article to be produced 1s a tirehaving the cross-sectional configuration illustrated in Fig. 5, and thedescription given inreference to the device will be con- 0 fined to amachine which will produce a tire of this ty e.

Centra 1y through the mandrel is a longitudinal opening, through whichit is constantly designed to feed a perforated tape 18 5 from a spoo19,which may be located below the casing 1 and between the legs 2. Fromthis spool thetape 18 is led around a pulley and from there it passescentrally and longitudinally through the mandrel 10 and is grasped andbecomes incorporated in the plastic material issuing from the opening inthe die 16. The peculiar conformation of a .the tape 18 may be .variedto suit the requirements of the case; butzthe form shown in Fig.

5 2 will serve to illustrate the operation of this device.

In manufacturing tires of the type shown in Fig. 5 it will be statedthat it is customary to cover not only the base portion ,of the tire,but a portion of the sides thereof, with canvas, duck, or other fabric,so as to prevent wear thereon and prolong the life of the tire. In orderto feed the fabric properly. to the fire as it issues from the mouth ofthe die, I

place below the casin 1, and preferably between the legs 2, a ree 21, offabric of a suitable kind and width, and from thence the fabric is ledthrough an opening in both the die-carrying head and die to a roller 22,which is mounted in' the die adjacent the base portion of the openingtherein, and from thence the fabric passes outward and is caused toadhere to the base portion of the tire as it issues from tlfe die. Itwill be noted that the roller 22 is provided with two flanges 23, havinginclined inner faces,which serve to shape a portion of the sides of thetire as they issue from the die, and they also serve to fold upwardlythe side edges of the fabric as it passes from the reel 21, so as tocause the adherence of the outer edges of the fabric to a portion of thesides of the issuing tire. The opening through the die-carrying head 15and die 16 is shaped as shown in Fig. 4, and thus the fabric as itpassesthrough this opening is properly shaped to pass around over the face ofthe roller 22, and having upward ly-bent edges attaches itself both tothe side edges of the tire and to the base thereof.

The operation of this device is as follows: It will be presumed thatsteam is constantly admitted to the chamber 5 to keep the entire deviceheated to such a degree as to prevent the cooling or stifiening of thematerial during its manipulation in this device, and any water which maybe caused by condensed steam will esca e from the chamber 5 by means ofthe e notion-pipe 7. A suflicient supply of ta e 18 having been pulledthrou h the mandrel 10 so as to proect from t e front end thereof andthe en of a strip of fabric from the reel 21 having been passed throughthe opening in the head 15 and die 16 so as to pass over the roller 22,the plastic material is then fed through the opening 8 and thefeed-screw 4, which is constantly revolved in a direction to force thematerial fed to it out through the opening in the die 16. As thismaterial issues from the opening in the die 16 it will have an externalconformation equivalent to the internal conformation of the opening inthe die 16, with the medial portion of the roller 22 serving as a meansfor shaping the base ortion of the article and the inner incline facesof the flanges 23 to shape the lower sides of the article. As thematerial exudes from the die it gras'ps and surrounds the tape 18,carrying it forward with itself, and at the same time it adheres andbecomes attached to the fabric fed from the reel 21,which also unwindsas it is fed forward with the issuing article, so

that as long as material is supplied to the de-' vice and tape andfabric are supplied to the reels 10 and 21, respectively, a tire such asis shown in Figs. 2 and 5 will be produced continuously. After beingthus formed the article, if made of rubber, will be taken to avulcanizer and properly cured.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A machine of the class described comprising an inclosing casingprovided with an opening therein, a revoluble feeding-screw in saidopening, a perforated mandrel arranged to pass through said opening insaid screw, means whereby plastic material may be fed to said screw, adie suitably sustained in position with respect to said screw andmandrel, means to conduct a stiffening device or its of the materialissum e uivalentthrough-said mandrel whereby it Wlll be incorporated inthe material issuing from saidd'e, and means-to cover a portion g fromsaid (he with fabric or its equivalent. 7

2. The combination in a machine of the class described provided with arevoluble feeding-screw therein, of means to permit the feeding'ofmaterial to said screw, a die-carrying'headin saidicasing, a dieprovided with a suitably-conformed opening attached to said die-carryinghead, a perforated mandrel in said casing arranged to pass through saidscrew, means to convey a continuouslyformed stiffening device throughsaid mandrel to theopening in said die, and means to convey to saidopening a continuouslyformed strip of fabric or its equivalent.

3. In a machine of the class designated, the combination with a hollowcasing having a feed-opening at one end, of a feed-screw in said casing,a forming-die situated adjacent the discharge end of said screw, africtionredueing member mounted in said die to form prising a portionofopening, and means to feed a continuouslyformed still'cning devicethrough said die whereby the same will become incorporated with thematerial l'cd through said die by said feed-screw.

4. A machine of the elass'dcsignated, coma hollow casing provided with afeedopening, a feed-screw mounted for rotation in said casing, a formin-die suitablv mounted to receive and shape i310 material i ed thereto bysaid screw, means, to feed -.still'ening means through said die, wherebthe same will become incorporated with t 0 material issuing from saiddie, and means to cover a portion of said material with fabric.

Intestimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

JOHN K. WILLIAMS.- Witnesses:

O. 'E. HUMPHREY, 'GLENARA Fox.

the normal outlines of thedie

